Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-04
ON BOARD A MORTAR BOAT
EXPERIENCE WHILE BOMBARDiNG
FORT JACKSON.


Destructive Tork-A Most Miraculous
Escape.
One Of the preliminary movements FOR the
passage of the forts defending Now Orleans
was the bringing up and placing Of Porter's
mortar feet where it could shell the forts.
The number of these mortar boats was an
even twenty and they were divided into
three divisions, each division having a sep
arate commander and being located by ITSELF
For several days before the mortars got to
work the coast survey men were busy buoy
ing out positions and calculating distances,
and the wonderful work accomplished by
them was the wonder of at least the rank
and fle of the feet The distance to each
fort was so accurately estimated by trianSu-
lation that the very first shell killed one man
and wounded another inside the works.
The division to which l was attached was
anchored close to the bank OF the river, with
strip OF woods habs a milo wide between
US and tie forJs. Beyond the woods Yves a
wide marsh, and our proper distance from
the nearest work was $500 feet. The other
fort st Phillip was about 600 yards further
away 1t is matter of history that our
masts were trimmed with bushes where they
showed above the trees, so Is to blind the
cunners at the forts. was one OF the detail
of men who carried out this movement. and
queer enough our schooners looked when the
work was completed. Our proper llasts
seemed to have been replaced by trees taken
from the shore. But few of us had had any
experience with mortaIs, and the COM
mander of each vessel issued instructions,
which we followed with benefit. Few men.
even those belonging to the artillery service,
have any idea of the terrible din and con-
cussion of mortar firing on shipboard On
land much of the din seems to be absorbed
By the solid ground, but on board vessel
You feel it ALL Some of the men on our
schooner who neglected the precaution Of
holding bit of soft wood in their teeth bit
their tongues in bad way. We had our
ears stuffed with cotton, and each time tho
mortar was fired every man rose on his tip
toes Despite these precautions many minor
accidents happened, and nothing could pre-
vent us from feeling and hearing good
share of the terrible din.
After the feet got to firing regularly the
roar was heard fifty miles at sea, and
crOckcry was ratified about Oh pantry shelves
in houses twenty-five miles distant. We
fired about once in every seven or eight
minutes and this kept eight or nine shells in
the air oil the time. At each discharge the
boat hccled over IS If she had struck a heavy
sea, and had scarcely come back to q level
keel when we we're ready torepeat the opera
ton. The strain ON planZs and timbers was
tremendous After we had fired the fifth
shot we had to set the pumps going, and
some of the great spikes were started half an
inch. Had we been aground the bottom of
the schooner would have been driven out at
the first fire. While the entire feet came in
for the din, the crews of the mortarS of
course suffered most. After the first days
firing which ceased at sunset, the stiffness
was almost as much of a strain on our nerves
as the noise had been. and it was hours be-
fore we coul1 so to sleep.
It must not be supposed that all the fun
was On our side. After our third shot tho
Confederates opened on us from a number
of heavy guns. While they could not see lis
on account Of the forest. they knew our
positions, and after little shot and shell be-
gan to fall around US. Inside of ono hour
| counted eight shells which fell within 200
feet of our schooner, and the bursting of
some of them threw water on our decks. Dur
ing tho first day we had dozen missiles pass
i
witnessed several accidents aboard of other
vessels lying ahead and behind us. The de-
structive work Of the Confederate fire wa.
however, more plainly seen when the big
100 pound shells fell into the forest which
protected US The soil was soft and spongy,
being subject to periodical overflews. and
when the great shells sunk into this earth and
exploded they would throw mud and water
over the tree tops and leave crater large
enough to take in q house. Scores Of great
trees were uprooted by these explosions, and
the shells which exploded in tho tops Of
others created far more havoc than the
angriest bolts of lightning ever hurled from
Jove's hand
We planted over 800 bombs inside the
two forts on that first day, burning the cita-
del and every thing else which would burn in
Fort Jackson, driving most Of the men to
shelter and damaging the magazine so that
it could not be entered during tho night.
Outside Of thirty or forty shells which ex-
ploded in the air, owing to bad fuses, not
more than a dozen out Of the great number
fired fell outside of the works We fired
entirely at Fort Jackson, which was-a milo
and half away.
We opened fire again at daylight on the
second day and the reply from the forts was
just as vigorous, although wo knew tire
enemy had suffered great deal and must
be considerably demoralized About mid
forenoon, just as we were ready to ill our
mortar for the fifteenth time since opening,
a great rife shell, which I plainly saw before
it fell, and took 10 be n bird Of Sonic s3rt,
descended upon our deck with en- awful crash.
1t disappeared through the heavy rlanks IS if
they had been paper, passed down through
the magazine with its dangerous contents,
and on down through the bottom OF the
schooner and into the mud of the river bed.
The fuse was burning brightly when it struck
the deck, and the men SOW trail Of SPARKS
as it passed through the magazine. In mo-
ment it was known that We were sinking, but
the craft around Us fastened alongside and
helped to remove most OF the stores before
she went down. That the shell struck with
out killing any Of rs was considered miracu-
lous. That It passed through the magazine
without exploding it was one Of the5s uaac-
couDtable things IL y7sr which admit Of 10
discussion. Darlington Smith in Detroit Free
Press
Other Big Named Men.
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